6 May 1828 (signing)
Western Cherokee treaty exchanges Arkansas homelands for land farther west
Arkansas Territory and lands west of its revised boundary
A treaty made in Washington required the Western Cherokees to surrender their Arkansas lands and leave within fourteen months. In exchange, the United States promised a western homeland and guarantees against further territorial or state encroachment.
Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.
Context / qualification
The guarantees are promises in the treaty, not evidence that they were honored. This agreement concerns Cherokees already west of the Mississippi and is distinct from New Echota and the later forced removal of eastern Cherokees. The date is signing; proclamation followed on May 28.
Sources
- Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, chapter 7, pp. 136; supplied print pages, edition/year unidentified
- Treaty with the Western Cherokee, May 6, 1828, preamble and articles 2, 3 and 7; Kappler text at Oklahoma State University ↗